Jealousy
by gen519
Summary: "Papa, did you ever like someone before Mama?" Before Sasuke could answer, Sakura slapped a hand on her knee and chuckled in good humor. "Oh, Sarada. Don't you know? Before I came along, your father was incapable of-" "Hinata Hyuga." The answer was instantaneous. The reactions even more so. One-shot. NH SS


I wrote this two years ago and completely forgot about it. Just something fun and short, please don't take it too seriously. Anyways, hope you enjoy.

* * *

Jealousy

* * *

He wasn't a jealous man.

On the contrary, he didn't have any particular feelings towards the pair in front of him. It would take more-a _lot_ more-to prompt a reaction from the stoic man and this was a well-known fact.

Perhaps that was why they were acting so shamelessly.

"They should be arriving in four days, according to Kankuro. Says they're top-notch medics. 'Course, they're nothin' compared to you and Granny, Sakura." Naruto commented idly as his eyes scanned over a file in front of him. To his right, Sakura was going through her own files and only nodded in agreement with him.

"They have talent, at least. Training should take at least a month to get them to Ino's level. Two if we try to go for Shizune's."

"That's up to you. Talk to Temari about it so she can work something out with her brothers."

 _Work._

 _That was their front._

"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto called out, eyes still not leaving the folder he was occupied with. "You still stickin' around for the next few days? We're celebrating Boruto's birthday next week. He'd love it if ya came."

The dark-haired man's bored gaze flickered to the blonde in a brief moment of interest. "Hn. We'll see."

"Heheh, I'll tell Boruto the good news." Naruto reached for the buttered slice of bread besides him and chomped off a large piece, chewing it messily and getting crumbs all over their kitchen table. Sasuke turned to Sakura, expecting his wife to lash out on the idiot and make him clean it up.

She didn't.

It was breakfast time at the Uchiha household. Sasuke had just sat down at the table when Naruto barged in for 'business with Sakura' and intruded on the family's meal, claiming it needed to be discussed as soon as possible so he could send word back to the Kazekage.

It was always like that.

Sasuke'd go to Sakura's office in her clinic to drop off a file she had asked him to bring, and two times out of three, Naruto was in her office with her for 'work'. The two times Sasuke had personally and graciously gone to the Hokage's office to follow up on an investigation, Sakura had been there too, dropping off documents and making excuses like _'I ran into Shino outside, he asked me to bring this to you'_.

Sasuke narrowed his already narrowed eyes as he watched Sakura pass Naruto a cup of coffee, which he loudly and gratefully accepted.

Enough was enough.

Sasuke decided to tell Naruto that his presence was ruining his peaceful breakfast with all this talk of medical documents and training that could wait until his family was finished with their meal.

"Naruto, get out of my house."

Three surprised pairs of eyes-one blue, one green, and one black-landed on him.

"Sasuke," Sakura smoothed her hair down when his dark eyes flickered to her. "What's gotten into you?"

"Is Papa in a bad mood?" Sarada asked quietly from the other side of the table, hand still gripping her chopsticks.

"Nah." Naruto set down his toast and finally tore his attention away from the file in front of him. "Your dad's always been cranky. 'Specially in the mornings."

"Anyways, where were we, Naruto?" Sakura opened another folder and angled her chair towards the Hokage so he could read it over her shoulder.

Ignored, Sasuke decided to stare at the couple unabashedly.

"Mom," Sarada called with a lilt in her voice that she definitely didn't get from Sasuke. "One of the girls at school told me that Hokage-sama used to flirt with you a lot. Is it true?"

Sasuke glanced at his daughter, his irritation doubling now that even Sarada was picking up on the closeness of the two former teammates.

"What?" Sakura and Naruto both answered with furrowed brows.

"Who told you-" Sakura paused and then her green eyes widened in understanding. " _Ohhh!_ I completely forgot about that! Remember, Naruto?" She elbowed him in his gut. "You used to have such a crush on me."

"Heheh, oh yeah!" Naruto chuckled loudly and then he leaned back in his chair. "Man, those were the days, huh, Sakura?"

"Yeah," She replied wistfully. Sasuke watched their dreamy expressions and then turned his attention back to the fish on his plate. Their Academy days didn't pull up any particularly good memories for him; almost everyday had been the same. Being swarmed by fangirls, ignoring Naruto's challenges, leading the class in everything they did. Since those days, a lot had changed.

Sarada turned and looked at her father, earning an eyebrow lift in return. "Papa, did you ever like someone before Mama?"

Before Sasuke could answer, Sakura slapped a hand on her knee and chuckled in good humor. "Oh, Sarada. Don't you know? Before _I_ came along, your father was incapable of-"

"Hinata Hyuga."

The answer was instantaneous.

The reactions even more so.

Naruto almost tipped over in his chair, arms flailing to regain balance, as Sakura dropped the toast she was nibbling on.

Sarada only widened her eyes in surprise. "Aunt Hinata? Boruto's mom?"

" _My_ Hinata?" Naruto barked out, eyes crinkled in confusion.

"The Hyuga." Sasuke repeated. The blonde's eyes narrowed.

"She's an Uzumaki now."

"She is." Sasuke nodded his head and took a sip from his tea. Naruto's mouth hung open in shock and he quickly closed it, looking to Sakura. Sakura had a hand over her heart and her eyes were wide with contemplation.

"Hinata? But...back in the Academy...I mean, she was so quiet..." Sakura trailed off. Sasuke, seeing no reason to respond, continued with his meal. "You had a crush on Hinata, Sasuke? Are you...sure?"

"What's the problem?"

"It's just..."

"You two never talked!" Naruto accused, jabbing a finger.

"Neither did you two."

Naruto gasped and sputtered, " _That's different!_ She-"

Sakura cut in. "I mean, there were so many other girls-even _Ino_ would make more-"

"Why?!" Naruto demanded. "Why Hinata?!"

Sasuke wiped his mouth with his napkin and then folded it neatly on the plate, taking his time with his answer. "She wasn't a fangirl." He answered with a shrug. Sakura gasped, insulted.

"Yeah! Exactly! She never liked you! She liked _me!_ "

"She did."

"Still does. We're married, y'know?!"

"I know."

"We have kids together."

"I _know_." Sasuke scoffed. He was Boruto's master. _Of course_ he knew they had children together.

Sakura was still talking to herself, trying to come up with reasons why it couldn't be true. "And she wore that huge jacket all the time. Wait a minute! It can't possibly be true, Sasuke! Because you liked girls with long hair-"

"And Hinata had the shortest hair in the whole class! Exactly!" Naruto beamed at this piece of irrefutable evidence.

"That was a rumor. I don't have a preference for hair length."

"Even so!" Sakura insisted. They were silent after that. Naruto and Sakura stabbed at their meals and ate with such ferocity that even Sasuke was watching them in amusement.

Sarada cleared her throat. "Well...Auntie Hina is really nice and pretty." Sakura shot her daughter a look of betrayal. Sasuke glanced at Naruto who was glaring at him with a furrowed brow, daring him to respond.

"I should go." Naruto said abruptly, standing from his chair. Sasuke ignored him, sipping his tea nonchalantly as Sarada called out a half-hearted goodbye. Sakura was silent. Just before Naruto's clone disappeared in a cloud of smoke, his smoldering blue eyes met Sakura's hardened green ones.

Their message was clear.

 _Keep your spouse away from mine._

* * *

"Wow, the shitty old man actually came for dinner!" Boruto, hands kneaded behind his head, strolled towards the dining room table. Naruto lifted an annoyed eyebrow at him but said nothing as Boruto took the seat across from Himawari. "Or are you just a clone?"

Himawari giggled. "Nope! Look!" She jabbed two fingers into her father's upper arm, causing the man to yelp in surprise and grasp at his suddenly limp arm.

" _Oww!_ I told you to stop doing that, Hima!"

Boruto laughed loudly and pounded fists with his sister in congratulations.

"Please stop torturing your father." Their mother's melodic voice drifted from the kitchen as her light footsteps tapped towards them. The aroma of barbecue wafted through the room as Hinata set a heavy tray on the center of the table. "Did you all wash your hands?"

" _Yes, Mom._ " Boruto, Himawari, and Naruto responded dutifully. She nodded in satisfaction, serving their plates silently, unaware of blue eyes narrowing into the distance.

Boruto jabbered loudly, recounting his day to his sister who listened with fascinated eyes. "I took down Inojin in, like, three seconds. And then Shikadai tried to jump in, but I was too quick for him. You should've seen me, Hima, I was the best! Sarada was only able to get Chocho and Mitsuki was just standing there the whole time." He loudly slurped from his cup of juice, earning a reproachful look from Hinata. "Sorry Mom. Oh, yeah, that reminds me! Uncle Sasuke asked me to tell you something."

Naruto, who had been serving himself his fourth helping of barbecue, froze.

Hinata took a sip from her iced tea. "Oh? What is it?"

"He says he's coming over tomorrow after training to talk about something with you."

Naruto slammed down his empty cup, uncaring of the loud clatter of noise he caused. "Talk about _what?_ "

Boruto and Hinata glanced at him cautiously. The young blonde boy shrugged. "He didn't say."

"I see." Hinata agreed casually before taking a bite of white rice. Boruto and Himawari continued on with their chatter and Hinata listened with interest, interjecting with her own comments a few times.

Naruto was silent.

Even when dinner was over and everyone was helping to pick up, he remained glued in his chair. The sound of running water and clinking dishes sounded from the kitchen and he listened carefully to the conversation between Hinata and Himawari.

"What time do Uncle Sasuke and big brother finish their training?"

"Hmm...usually a little after six in the evening. When Boruto was learning the Rasengan, they trained for much longer. Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to know when to expect them."

"Himawari has a crush on Uncle Sasuke, doesn't she?"

Himawari gasped shrilly. "I-I don't! No, he's much too old! He's Papa's best friend and-"

"It's alright, sweetie. It's normal for a girl your age to have a crush."

"I don't love him or anything like that! Not like you and Papa! I just..."

"He's a handsome man. I understand. Make sure your father doesn't find out, alright?"

"Okay, Mama."

They continued washing and drying the dishes, humming to themselves, as Naruto fought a panic attack in the next room.

 _The betrayal..._

He couldn't believe it. That bastard was ripping his family apart.

Well, not if he had anything to say about it!

Naruto leapt from his chair and stormed into the kitchen.

"Himawari, go brush your teeth and get ready for bed. I'll dry the dishes." He gently ordered, trying not to let the hurt show on his face.

 _His precious little girl..._

He remembered the days when _he_ was the most handsome man on the planet; the best daddy a girl could have; that she would marry a man just like him. Those days were over, it would seem. All thanks to Sasuke, that asshole.

Hinata glanced at him from the corner of her eyes as Himawari jumped down from her stool and raced away. Naruto shoved the stool aside with his slippered foot and took the post next to Hinata. She wordlessly handed him a freshly washed plate and he glided a towel over it, setting it aside for the next one.

"Is something the matter, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked cautiously.

"Why do you ask?"

"You've been a little tense since you've gotten home. I didn't want to say anything in front of the kids."

He was quiet for a few seconds, wondering how she would handle the news that she was Sasuke's childhood crush.

Would she be happy?

Flattered that the most sought after boy in the academy had taken a liking to her?

Would she be...regretful that nothing had happened between them?

Naruto conveniently forgot all the history and precious moments that had transpired between him and his wife and focused only on the information he had learned today: that Sasuke had once liked her and that she thought he was handsome.

"No, nothing's wrong." He decided to answer. "Just...missed you."

Hinata stiffened slightly and blinked. "Oh. I missed you too." She answered with a pleased smile. Naruto glanced down at her much smaller frame, trying his best not to stare down the front of her blouse.

Oh, what's the harm? Hinata was _his_ wife. _He_ was allowed to touch her.

Naruto quickly set down his dish and towel and wrapped an arm around Hinata's waist to drag her in closer. Hinata relaxed and rubbed her hand soothingly over his back.

Naruto ran his paws greedily over her back and slowly felt his way towards her chest. When she realized what he was doing, Hinata gently placed a hand between them.

"Not now, Naruto."

Choosing to ignore her warning, his hands continued their path. Strong, smaller hands seized his wrists and started pushing them away. "Boruto is still in the living room. He might come in."

This did nothing to soothe Naruto, who was now trying to ignore the part of his brain that was convinced Hinata no longer found him attractive. Reluctantly, he pulled away from her, muttering a half-hearted apology she accepted easily. The two continued in silence for a few seconds before clearing his throat. "So Hinata..."

"Yes?"

"D'you ever like someone else besides me? Or just thought that some guy was cute or somethin'?"

Hinata was startled by the question and her brow furrowed. "Naruto-kun. You _know_ that I've always loved you."

"I know, I know, but are you sure?"

"What are you-"

"How 'bout Kiba?"

"Wha-"

"Shino?"

Hinata, finally realizing what he meant, shook her head. "Kiba and Shino have always been brothers to me."

"Gaara?"

"I didn't know him all that well until we started dating."

"Shikamaru? Choji? Rock Lee?"

"All trusted comrades. Nothing more."

"Sai?"

"Are you being serious right now?"

"...Neji?"

" _Naruto-kun!_ "

"Sorry, sorry!"

She sighed. "I've always liked you and only you. Does that answer your question?"

"Okay, but do you think they're all ugly?"

"Ugly? No, of course not."

"So you think they're hot."

Hinata tinted pink. "I don't pay much attention to their looks."

Naruto could tell he was starting to bother his wife but he couldn't drop the subject.

"How come you didn't like Sasuke?"

"Sasuke?"

"Yeah. How come you weren't a fangirl?"

"Because I liked _you_."

"So you never thought he was cool or cute or anything?"

"Well, yes, I did."

Naruto felt a deep pang within his chest at the confession and he continued drying the dishes in silence. Hinata stared at him from the corner of her eyes, wondering what on earth was going on.

"But," She continued, "I always thought Sasuke could never even come close to you."

"But you just said-"

"I don't think being cool is all that great. He had a mysterious charm to him but I always found him quite intimidating. He sort of reminded me of Neji. I suppose that's why I never really cared to get to know him." She paused. "Anyways, he never had your drive, Naruto. Everything came naturally for him whereas you worked hard for all your accomplishments. I always admired that about you. You worked hard, never gave up, and always fought for what you believed in. Don't you think that means so much more than being cool and cute?"

He turned to stare at her in awe, realizing that he hadn't been much better than a brainless fangirl when nothing more than pink hair and a fiery temper had caught his attention. Naruto was touched and he couldn't help his small grin. "I'm glad."

"For what?"

"To be married to the one girl that was never obsessed with him."

"There were other-"

"They're not you."

She smiled and he smiled in return.

Man, Hinata was so great. He was the luckiest guy in the world.

But Sasuke was still a bastard and Naruto didn't trust him one bit around Hinata.

"Okay, we're all done here. Are you going to bed, dear?" Hinata dried her hands on her shorts, dark spots of water lingering on her hips, drawing his eye.

Now that he had put one issue to bed, there was another one he certainly needed to take care of.

He smiled lecherously. "After you."

* * *

Naruto was frantic. Shadow Clones leapt around the office as they all worked at break-neck speed to finish the stacks of paperwork on his desk.

It was almost six o'clock.

He only had a few minutes to finish his work and get back home before Sasuke showed up to have his talk with Hinata.

" _Oi!_ " He barked at a gaggle of clones who stopped to take a break. "Get back to work! What the hell are you guys thinkin'?! We've gotta get home as soon as-"

The door swung open, revealing Shikamaru Nara. His narrowed eyes swept over the room, taking in the multiple Shadow Clones arguing with each other over the size of the work loads. "I don't want to know." He said to the original Naruto who was seated at his desk with a sheepish grin. "You have a visitor from the Hidden Cloud's shinobi academy."

Naruto groaned. "Can't Shino handle it?"

"He is part of the meeting. They would like to discuss a-"

"Just send 'em in! Hurry!"

Shikamaru stilled, wondering why the Hokage was in such a hurry. "Very well." He turned and left to collect the visitor. With a sigh, Naruto dispelled his Shadow Clones.

"Hokage-sama." Shino Aburame, shinobi instructor at the academy and Boruto's old teacher, stepped into the room with a polite bow.

A part of Naruto's annoyance quelled at seeing his childhood friend. "Heheh, long time no see, Shino!"

"It has been a while." He agreed. "Hinata is well?"

Suddenly, an idea struck Naruto. He grinned. "Hinata's fine. Well, at least, she says so. To tell ya the truth, Shino, I think she's actually a bit nervous right now."

Shino, on high alert, scrutinized Naruto. "Why would she be nervous? Is she not at home with your children?"

"She is, but Boruto's master is going to pay her a visit in a few minutes. I was supposed to be there with her, but..." He gestured to the room they were in with a shrug of his shoulders.

Shino was pensive. "Isn't Boruto's master...?"

"Sasuke. Yep, that asshole is going to go have a little parent conference with Hinata in private. Probably going to gripe and complain to her about how Boruto isn't up to his standards. 'Course my- _our_ Hinata's so nice and sweet, she'll probably listen and agree with him and she'll make him a snack that he won't even thank her for. If there was a way I could be there to keep the bastard in his place, I would, but this meeting..."

"It's a very important meeting.." Shino interjected quickly.

Naruto waved his hands. "'Course, of course! I wouldn't miss this meeting for anything." He glanced at the clock. "Sasuke should be there right about now. Probably just barged in without even knocking, knowing him. I hope Hinata can handle him."

Naruto knew what he was doing. He was deliberately painting Sasuke as a villain (which wasn't too hard) and portraying Hinata as some damsel-in-distress who needed to be rescued from him. He had hoped Shino would cancel the meeting to help out his teammate but Shino was resistant.

Then an insect crawled out to the edge of the desk. Naruto grinned.

"If it is alright with you,, I would like to send an insect to check up on Hinata."

"Gosh, if ya really think it's necessary."

The insect flew out the open window and Naruto held back a sigh of relief. Hinata was hypersensitive to Shino's insects and their chakra-a habit from being his teammate. This was his way of showing Hinata that she was being watc- _protected_.

At that instant, the Hidden Cloud instructor came into the room and took a seat. For a few minutes, they introduced themselves and made irritating small talk of the progress of both their villages.

Suddenly, Shino stiffened. Naruto turned to him with a furrowed brow. "My insect has been destroyed."

 _Damn it. How?! Was it Sasuke?_

 _...or was it Hinata?_

"Hokage-sama, are you feeling well?" The Cloud instructor studied him with concern. Naruto hadn't realized that he had paled and was nervously tapping his foot.

"Fine. 'M fine." He blurted out. "Let's continue. What were you saying about the graduation exam?"

Damn. What was he going to do? He couldn't leave in the middle of the meeting but...

He sighed. A few weeks ago, he would have sent a Shadow Clone but he was hesitant now. His Shadow Clones were not welcome in his house, not since...

He fought a pained groan, memories surfacing of Himawari's disastrous birthday party. _Boruto's shocked glare, Himawari's betrayed frown, Hinata's disappointed eyes..._

Since that day, he had made a point of never sending Shadow Clones home. He worked harder every day to make it home for dinner, or at least bedtime, and if he couldn't come home, then he'd call and let them know.

But this was an emergency. Maybe not in Hinata's eyes, but to him, this was a matter of life and death.

Ashamed of himself but unwilling to sit there and do nothing, he discreetly produced a disguised Shadow Clone and it hurried out the window. Naruto folded his hands under his chin and waited.

* * *

"I thought you might do something like this."

Sasuke Uchiha stood from his perch on the front steps of the Uzumaki household, smirking as Naruto's Shadow Clone came running from the Hokage tower. Noticing him, the blonde slowed to a stop and glowered at him.

"Where's Hinata?" He demanded.

"Inside. Talking to the real me."

"You're a-"

"A Shadow Clone, yes."

Blue eyes narrowed. "What are you up to, Sasuke?"

"I have no idea what you mean."

"Why are you talking to Hinata? What are you saying to her?"

"We are simply discussing your son's training regime. Hinata was his taijutsu teacher, was she not? I have no experience with the Gentle Fist. I intended to have Hinata demonstrate a few moves for me."

The Hokage's adrenaline spiked with the sudden visual imagery that assaulted his brain. Growling, he pushed those thoughts aside. "And why a Shadow Clone guard, huh?"

"I don't want us to be interrupted."

"This is _my house_ and _I'm_ Boruto's father, you bastard!"

Sasuke smirked and said nothing. He approached the blonde. "If you want me to stop, then stay away from-" A fist collided with Sasuke's cheeks and the clone went flying before it disappeared with a poof of smoke.

It wasn't Naruto's fist.

The blonde turned around with a shocked yelp as Sakura's angry emerald eyes turned to him. He cowered from the enraged woman and she lifted a fist. "How _could_ you, Naruto?! You _knew_ that Sasuke was planning on coming over and talking to Hinata and you didn't tell me?!"

"Wait, wait, Sakura!"

"I trusted you!" Sakura moved forward with a fist raised in the air.

"Y-You can't punch the Hokage!"

"I'm not punching the Hokage, I'm punching a clone!" Sakura leapt in the air and Naruto closed his eyes.

* * *

Back at the Hokage tower, Naruto violently shuddered at the clone's memories.

 _Well..._

 _That was a total failure._

"Hokage-sama?"

He looked up and met the expectant eyes of the Cloud Instructor. "Oh-yes, I completely agree."

Shino sighed and turned to the confused man. "He is fine, just distracted."

"Ah. No doubt there are many important things on the Hokage's plate. Well, you have my proposal, Aburame-sensei. I trust you will read it over with the Hokage and send word?"

"Of course. Thank you for your time." Shino stood and Naruto quickly followed his example. After hasty good-byes, the Cloud instructor was excused and Shino sighed.

"Heh, sorry 'bout that, Shino. A lot's been going on."

"I figured. I will read his proposal thoroughly and send you an outline. Please respond as hastily as you can."

"Yeah, yeah, no worries."

"One more thing, Hokage-sama." Shino said in a clipped tone. "Hinata may be your wife, but she is still a precious teammate and one of my closest friends. Please be more considerate of her feelings. Not once has she ever done anything that should make you doubt her." With that, he took his leave as Naruto gaped after him.

A bit angry but mostly just ashamed, Naruto sighed and stood from his seat. Perhaps he had been a bit...extreme lately, he pondered as he silently left his office. There was a stack of paperwork on his desk but he couldn't care less about it.

Shino was right.

Naruto wasn't surprised the bug-user was able to see straight through his intentions. No doubt his insect had reported nothing out of the ordinary before it was crushed. If he had to be honest with himself, he knew that Sasuke wasn't a bad person or a wife-stealing backstabber. He knew that Sasuke had always been nothing but polite to Hinata.

A childhood crush didn't mean anything. He and Sakura were perfect examples that silly crushes meant next to nothing when compared to the real thing. Naruto didn't know what real love felt like until he finally understood his feelings towards Hinata. He supposed that Sasuke felt similarly about Sakura.

Maybe he was just blowing things out of proportion.

Naruto trudged up the steps of his home and unlocked the door. He was immediately greeted by the warm smell of a hot dinner and he quickly stepped out of his shoes and hung up his cloak.

" _I'M HOOOMMMEEE!"_ He called out cheerfully, waiting for the thundering of steps. When only silence greeted him, he quickly activated his Sage Mode and took account for every member of his family.

According to his nature energy, Hinata, Boruto, and Himawari were in the kitchen with-

He gulped. Slowly, very slowly, he walked over to the dining room table and peeked behind the wall.

Hinata immediately noticed him and flashed him a nervous grin. "Oh! Welcome home, dear. I didn't hear you."

"Uh..."

Sasuke and Sakura looked up at him expectantly as they sat across from Boruto and Himawari.

Naruto frowned. They had claimed Naruto and Hinata's usual seats so Hinata had pulled up an extra chair and sat at the small end of the table. Another chair was placed on the other side.

"Welcome home, Papa!" Himawari called out warmly and Boruto only nodded his head in acknowledgement. Naruto hesitantly slid into the empty chair and Hinata quickly placed a hot plate of food before him with a cup of tea. He murmured a 'thanks' and looked up at his old teammates. Sakura was staring at him from the corner of her eye and Sasuke was glaring at his empty plate.

"So...what brings you two around?"

Boruto jumped in. "Aunt Sakura almost ripped our front door off its hinges looking for Uncle Sasuke."

Sakura's cheeks tinted and Hinata shot her son a warning look.

"Ah, nothing that couldn't be fixed." Hinata said quickly. "And I invited them to stay for dinner."

There was a stern silence after that.

Himawari sipped from her cup of juice. "Why is everyone so quiet? No one is talking."

Hinata flashed a discrete, pleading look towards Naruto and he blinked in response.

"Uhh...food looks great, Hinata!" He said as enthusiastically as he could.

"It's a new recipe." She smiled warmly in return.

Sakura cleared her throat and moved around the food on her plate with a chopstick. "You've always been a great cook, haven't you, Hinata?"

"Well, it's a hobby of mine so I've had lots of practice."

"Lots of...tomatoes in this dish." Sakura commented casually and Sasuke's narrowed eyes cut to his wife.

"Yes, they've been growi-"

"Sasuke loves tomatoes." Sakura announced and Hinata blinked, startled at the outburst.

Naruto sighed, inwardly pleading with the Heavens that Sakura didn't pick a fight with Hinata.

Hinata remained oblivious. "I see. I had a good crop this year if you would like some, Sasuke." As always, she was nothing but polite and caring, albeit somewhat confused by the tense atmosphere.

Sakura was not so appreciative.

"I make great tomato dishes!" She nudged Sasuke's elbow. "Don't I, sweetie?"

He nodded once. "Your alphabet soup is a treat."

Sasuke almost paled when he realized how his response came across.

The worst part was that he really wasn't trying to sound like an asshole. Sakura's alphabet soup really was very good. She didn't have time to experiment with recipes and he completely understood that.

But it was too late. Sakura's eyes widened in both anger and hurt. Naruto gaped at his friend, wondering what could have prompted Sasuke to sign a death sentence like that.

The silence was broken by a doorbell and all the members of the Uzumaki family jumped to answer it. Himawari, who had slid under her father's legs, beat them all to it.

" _Sarada!"_ She called from the door.

Sasuke and Sakura both stiffened at the name and turned just as the two girls came into the dining room.

Boruto immediately straightened.

Sarada let out an angered ' _hmph!'_ and crossed her arms while simultaneously tapping her foot. "So _this_ is where you two have been!"

Sakura immediately leapt to her feet. "I'm so-"

"All because Papa didn't come home in time, you went running out of the house so fast, you didn't even finish making dinner!" She explained her mother's crimes to them all. "You told me to wait at home! That you'd be right back! It's been two hours!"

Hinata, who had only processed that a child who had not yet eaten dinner was in her home, immediately jumped from her chair.

"Sarada, sweetie, please join us for dinner. Your mother was only late because I invited your parents to eat with us." She explained hastily, taking full responsibility for the incident.

Sarada _'Hn.'-_ ed loudly-a trait they suspected she inherited from Sasuke-and accepted. "Thank you, Auntie Hina. Maybe if Mom was more like _you_ , she would have-"

Sasuke quickly intervened. "We should go home." He grabbed his daughter's wrist and swerved her away from the table, ignoring Boruto's _'but she just got here!'._

Sakura was dangerously quiet and she stalked out of the dining room. Sasuke nodded his head towards Hinata.

"Thank you for the meal."

He quickly walked away with his daughter in tow, trying his hardest not to appear as if he was chasing after Sakura.

The front door slammed shut and the Uzumaki household was silent.

"Naruto."

Pulling at his suddenly skintight collar, Naruto gulped. "Yes, Hinata?"

"Can I see you in the kitchen?"

* * *

The walk home was tense and silent.

Sarada had finally realized that something was going on and kept her mouth shut, glancing between her parents fearfully.

Sasuke stared at his wife's back and swallowed. "Sakura." He began, deciding it was time to make amends. Sakura did not answer. "It's not what you think."

"Not in front of Sarada." Sakura answered coldly, her motherly instinct overpowering her anger.

He continued. "I'm not going after her." He did not have to elaborate who he was speaking about.

Sakura stopped in her tracks, now positive that it wasn't in her imagination when she suspected that her husband was actively pursuing their best friend's wife/childhood crush. "Then why-"

"I wanted to teach the idiot a lesson. I didn't mean for it to go this far."

Sakura turned and stared at her husband, eyes searching his face for any sign of a lie. "Sasuke. What lesson are you trying to teach Naruto? Wait! Don't tell me that idiot is stepping out-"

"No. He's not that stupid."

"Then?"

Sasuke closed his eyes and breathed in through his nose. It wasn't often that he felt like such a fool. So it was with a measure of never-before-seen embarrassment that he quietly muttered, "He spends too much time with you."

Sakura's eyes widened and she blushed as she stared into his eyes. "Sasuke..."

The raven-haired stoic man looked away from her and continued walking home. Sarada tugged on her mother's hand. "Mom...what's wrong with Papa?"

Sakura held on to her daughter's hand and smiled as she led them home. "Nothing, dear. Nothing at all."

* * *

I know, I know. I wrote SasuSaku! Past me did a lot of weird shit, but this might take the cake.

If only SS was portrayed like this in canon. Anyways, hope you liked it.

Untili next time!

-Gen.


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